William C. Gorgas
Surgeon General, U.S. Army

William C. Gorgas was born on 3 October 1854 in Mobile, AL, the son of Confederate States Army Brigadier General Josiah Gorgas.

After earning his medical degree, Gorgas entered the U.S. Army in 1880 and was appointed an Assistant Surgeon. He was frequently sent to areas plagued by Yellow Fever and served in Cuba during the Spanish-American War.

Gorgas was Chief Sanitary Officer of the Canal Zone during the building of the Panama Canal from 1904-14. He was Surgeon General of the U.S. Army, 16 January 1914 to 3 October 1918.

He retired in 1918.

Death and Burial

William C. Gorgas died on 3 July 1920 in England. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, VA.